Eczema is frequently a result of distemper, as it is also of other diseases which severely tax vitality and impoverish the blood. One of the worst features of this disease is that it often exists and makes considerable headway before it is discovered, and it is often the case that attention is first called to it by the persistent scratching by the victim.

In order to prevent the disease from obtaining a foothold unknown to you, your dog should be subjected to a thorough examination at least once a week, and in case of illness it is a very good plan to examine him daily by passing the hand over every portion of his body, in order that you may detect at once the presence of the trouble by the roughened or pimply feeling of the skin.

When the trouble is caused by debility, nutritious food must be freely given, and every effort be made to build up and strengthen the system - giving frequent meals of meat, strong meat broths, raw eggs well beaten in milk, and withholding all vegetable substances until the patient is convalescent. If any signs of constipation be present, the bowels should be kept moderately open by small doses of sweet oil and syrup of buckthorn in equal parts, given in teaspoonful doses two or three times a day, if necessary; but great care must be taken not to overdo the matter, thereby weakening the patient.

Epsom salts, when properly administered, are excellent in all cases of cutaneous affections, as they purify the system and cool the blood, and thus assist nature to throw off the disease. Very small doses will do wonders, when a large dose, such as is usually given, will act as an irritant and frequently do more harm than good. A dog of about fifty pounds weight should have one-half of a teaspoonful just before eating, once a day, for three or four days; or, in extreme cases, the treatment may be continued for a week, and, if thought necessary, after an interval of three or four days, it may be repeated. For dogs under fifty pounds in weight, and puppies, the dose should be proportionately smaller, bearing in mind that the medicine is not administered as a laxative, but as an alterative.

Sulphur is also very useful in this disorder, when it is properly administered. Large doses should never be given, as an overdose will nearly always act as an irritant, and pass through the bowels so quickly that not nearly the benefit will be derived from it as from a dose administered in the proper quantity.

The dose for a dog of about fifty pounds weight should not exceed in quantity a lump the size of a pea, and for smaller animals the dose should be reduced in like ratio. It should be finely powdered, and may be given in milk or in a bit of meat once a day for a week, or longer, should the case appear to demand it. This quantity will be readily assimilated, and its medicinal properties, in passing out of the system, will accomplish their mission.

The secretions in the stomach of the dog have the power of dissolving this mineral, which is entirely insoluble in water. The practice of placing a lump of it in the drinking vessel of your dog is simply ridiculous, as there is not even a remote possibility that he will derive the slightest benefit from it.

Surfeit is a term generally used to designate eczema when it is caused by overfeeding and lack of proper exercise. In such cases the first thing to be done is to re-strict the diet, feeding only simple articles of food and reducing the quantity. A large dose of epsom salts may now be administered with benefit; from two to three teaspoonfuls may be given the first time, and the treatment continued as advised with the smaller quantity; unless constipation is manifest, in which case the large dose can be repeated occasionally, but not too often, as the sweet oil and syrup of buckthorn should be used if the constipation is obstinate.

It is always advisable to treat this disorder externally in addition to the internal remedies prescribed; and, as there is a possibility that mange, instead of eczema, may be the cause of the trouble, it is best to apply a remedy that will be suitable in either case. The best remedy that I have ever used is an ointment made as follows: Balsam of Peru and sulphur, each one ounce; lard, six ounces. These should be thoroughly mixed together without heating, unless the lard is very cold and hard, in which case it may be slightly warmed, but not melted. A large earthen plate and a case knife will do admirably for the mixing, or a sheet of heavy paper will answer if the plate is not handy. The ointment should be freely applied to the affected parts three or four times a day, and well rubbed in each time, taking- care to rub gently, in order that the inflamed parts may not be irritated. This preparation, when faithfully applied, will, in most cases, completely cure mange in its incipient stage. The treatment should be continued from four to eight days, according to the persistence of the trouble. In obstinate cases of eczema, when the system is greatly weakened by disease, we cannot look for complete recovery until the disturbing cause is removed, and the patient restored to his normal condition. The chief reliance must be upon nutritious food, judiciously supplied, with careful nursing.